Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!sid From: sid@jato.jpl.nasa.gov (Sid Johnson WB6VWH) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: Outdoor Musings Keywords: ramble on, ramble on Message-ID: <1991Feb13.021823.13039@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> Date: 13 Feb 91 02:18:23 GMT References: <46369@vrdxhq.verdix.com> Reply-To: sid@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Sid Johnson WB6VWH) Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA Lines: 94 In article <46369@vrdxhq.verdix.com> edm@vrdxhq.verdix.com (Ed Matthews) writes: >I thought I would engage in a little stream of birding here... > >I was out this weekend at one of my local parks, Manassas Battlefield >National Park, and noticed that the Park Service had cut down every >snag that could potentially ever fall in the direction of one of the >trails, including some that Pileated Woodpeckers were actively feeding >from and some nest sites that I'd staked out last year to watch this >spring. As the song goes, "When will they ever learn?" > Know what you mean. In the past two months I have been to 2 desert wildlife refuges, Piute Ponds and San Jacinto refuge. Both are supplied with waste water, or used to be. Both are nearly bone dry. Three of the pons at San Jacinto were completely dry, the 4th had just enough water to cover a ducks foot. Needless to say there were few birds. Now, if you don't put that water in the refuge what do you do with the stuff, especially sewer pond outflow? > >Ever notice how hard it is to ID birds when they're flying head on at you >at eye level? My wife and I were crossing a bridge when we saw a really Same goes for flying directly away. Happenes to me all the time.. > >One of the most rewarding sights for me has to be sitting up on cliffs or >bluffs above a river and have Canada Geese come winging by at eye-level. I'd love to see that sight. Karen and I saw several large (600-1000birds) flocks of Snow Geese at Salton Sea last weekend. They are impressive on the ground. When the whole flock takes to the air it is positively awesome. > >Brown Creeper. They are hard to spot and uncommon as well. Checking my >logs, I saw only one last year, in Whitchurch, Hampshire, England. Makes Sometimes I think that is like the word comman. There are lots of comman xxx species that are not comman in CA. Creepers are tough though, here too. Three or four a year is a good score. >Back to nemesis birds. Red-Headed Woodpecker. I have *never* seen one, >despite hours and hours of looking at known sites. What gives? Well, everytime I go to Louisiana there are no Pileateds, but you have to beat the Red-headeds of with a stick. Lets see now....there are Pileated in VA and Red-headeds in LA....so if you go to LA and I go to VA it figures that you will see Pileated and I will see Red-headed. Isn't that how it works? >majesty on the wing (at least here on the east coast). We have a roost I agree TVs are really a fantastic bird. Problem is that here in the SW there are so many. Ravens too, everywhere. That means you have to pay attention to every single one, even if you have seen azillion that day. If you don't you will miss something important. At San Jacinto I noticed a bird soaring, quit high and nearly a mile away. I started to mark it off as another TV when it started to flap its wings. Mighty unusual for a TV at that altitude. Turned out to be a Golden Eagle. Now if ravens, TVs, hawks and eagles would all fly around together so you could judge the relative size things would be easier, but they all *know* that and only do it when you are not looking. Speaking of birds knowing things.... There is a Lewis Woodpecker that has taken up residency at the entrance to the south parking lot at JPL. Same telephone pole, everyday, alll day. You can drive right up to that pole and watch that woodpecker watching you for 30 minutes. Now, just *try* pointing a camera at him and you will see an instant disappearing act behind the pole. All woodpeckers know the same trick. Where do they learn this stuff? Also, have you noticed that an unfamiliar bird will stay still till it sees you reach for your field guide. Then ziip its gone. Some are more cocky and wait till you are ready for your 2nd look. They can be tricked sometimes. We did it two weeks ago at San Jacinto. A bird popped up onto a tumble weed about 20 ft away and started singing. It looked vaguely familiar but we couldn't place it. Karen got behind me where the bird couldn't see that she was using the dreaded tome of Peterson identification. I kept it in the binocs and described what she had missed. "Got it! Sage Thrasher!" she whispered. The words "got it" were barely out of her mouth when the bird bolted for cover. I suppose it will now have to go to some kind of bird remedial school as punishment for allowing such a thing to happen. >Enough musings... Nay, never enough. >Ed Matthews edm@verdix.com >Verdix Corporation Headquarters (703) 378-7600 >Chantilly, Virginia Sid Johnson Jet Propulsion Laboratory sid@jato.jpl.nasa.gov